There have been many stories in the 2014-15 NHL season that are note-worthy.
As we near the end of the regular season, it’s fun to look at the wild card battle in both the Eastern and Western Conference. In the East, unexpected powerhouses in the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins both still hang on to the two wild card spots, with the Ottawa Senators as the only team still chasing after the Florida Panthers were mathematically eliminated, following their 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. In the West, a similar race is taking place with the Minnesota Wild and the Los Angeles Kings holding on to the final two spots, as the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks attempt to keep up.
Speaking of the Wild, the addition of goaltender Devan Dubnyk has been nothing but spectacular. Minnesota searched for an answer to spark their team and they got it from the 28-year-old netminder, who is 26-7-1 with his new team. Since the trade, Dubnyk has moved up to 2nd in both save percentage (.930) and goals against (2.07), while adding five shutouts in the process. The rise in popularity has even earned him Masterton consideration, as a goalie that went from the AHL to the top of the charts in the NHL after just one season.
Nashville, amidst the Predators turnaround season, has seen the likes of Mike Ribeiro turn his NHL career around and erase all doubts about the demons that were haunting him, while Pekka Rinne returned to grand form, posting numbers that are worthy of a Vezina nomination. In Washington, Alex Ovechkin became the all-time scoring leader of the Capitals franchise. With 52 goals on the season, Ovechkin is en route to winning his 5th Rocket Richard Trophy and has also vaporized all comments about his defensive liability in the process under new head coach Barry Trotz.
But in Ottawa, it’s all about the Hamburglar. Goaltender Andrew Hammond broke onto the scene when starter Craig Anderson went down due to injury, and the Senators have been in pursuit of a playoff position since then. Posting a 17-1-1 record thus far, the city of Ottawa has gone into a frenzy, throwing hamburgers onto the ice in support of the new hot goaltender in town.
All eyes are on Hammond, but there’s another name in Ottawa that has flown under the radar this season and it’s time to give him his due. Mark Stone is that man.
Drafted in the 6th round, 178th overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Stone played in just 19 games last season, scoring four goals and adding four assists. Nothing mind-blowing, but a smart and responsible player at just the age of 21. Now 22, Mark Stone has evolved into one of the more consistent players in the Senators line-up, both offensively and defensively.
Since the firing of Paul MacLean earlier this season, the mentality of “get better or find new gear” has been relinquished and Dave Cameron has instilled a new mentality: You’ll be rewarded if you deserve it. In the case of Stone, he’s more than deserved it. Since New Year’s, Stone has been one of the most consistent scorers in the league. Going from a healthy scratch in late October to a legitimate top-six right winger has gone hand-in-hand with the coaching change, and Cameron has refused to repeat the same error as MacLean.
Calder Consideration A Possibility?
Stone is sitting with 21 goals and nearing the 60-point mark. In fact, should he get to that milestone, it will be the first time a trio of rookies in the NHL hit 60 points since Evgeni Malkin, Paul Stastny and Anze Kopitar did it back in the 2006-07 season. The two other rookies from this season are Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames and Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators. Those two are certainly in the race for the Calder, while Aaron Ekblad, at the age of 19, is making a case for himself as he has already posted 11 goals and 25 assists this season, becoming the most consistent defenseman not only on his team but in the league.
The race is tight and Ekblad, Forsberg and Gaudreau may be the top-three locks for the rookie of the year honours, but if there could be a write-in based off the second portion of the season, Stone would be a heavy favorite. Considering the team has been back-stopped by solid goaltending from rookie Hammond and Erik Karlsson continues to dominate as one of the league’s best offensive-defenseman, it’s Stone’s offensive numbers during this stretch that has helped the Senators climb the ranks and push towards a wild card spot.
In his last 20 games, Stone has been on a point-per-game pace, scoring 7 goals and adding 13 assists. His consistency in the top-six has been a huge reason, along with Hammond’s brilliance, why the Senators have gone from 16 points behind the Penguins to just 3 points out from a final wild card position.
So while it may not be possible to edge out one of Forsberg, Gaudreau or Ekblad, Stone has made a name for himself as one of the more reliable and consistent top-six forwards in the league and if he can continue to remain consistent, he may be up in contention for other individual awards in the near future.
Not Just An Offensive Player
Heading into last night’s contest against the Washington Capitals, Stone was tied for the league-lead in takeaways, with 91. Only John Tavares held the same number of takeaways, and surpassed Stone with 93 while the Winnipeg-native is just one behind with 92. Since the tracking of this particular stat began in the 2005-06 season, no rookie has ever finished the regular season with the lead in takeaways. As impressive as that is, Stone is equally as dominant in the giveaways category. Comparing this stat with Tavares, Stone has just 39 giveaways on the season while Tavares has 107.
The giveaway-to-takeaway ratio for Stone is currently at plus-53, which places him in second in the entire league. At the age of 22, Stone has set the standard in Ottawa for defensive play while potting clutch goals for the team as they advance towards a potential post-season appearance.
From sitting in the press-box back in late October to where he is now, there is no greater story to come out from Ottawa than that of Mark Stone. Hammond may get that spotlight for a season that challenged a record still held by Patrick Lalime, but Stone’s solid two-way play and brilliant mind in all three zones has left Senators fans stunned and foaming at the mouth for what this kid can do in the future. Despite it being hard for a winger to pull it off, a Selke may not be impossible for the young man.
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